EYES TO THE SKY July 23 – August 5, 2018

The culmination of an extraordinary celestial event is underway. Look to the southeast at nightfall: a glowing golden orb rising above the skyline will bewilder you if you have not seen planet Mars recently. Distinctly yellowish and shining at a magnitude of -2.75 today, Mars reaches peak brilliance (-2.78m) from the 26th through the 28th, Thursday through Saturday, when the planet’s orbit brings it closest to both the Earth and to the Sun. To fully appreciate the impression of Mars at peak, see it before the 27th, when the Full Thunder Moon will be closeby. Study the illustrations.

Artist’s illustration of the orbits of Earth and Mars, via NASA.

The significance of this Mars perihelion and opposition** is best stated by the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO), “The 2018 perihelic [peri=around, helios=sun] apparition of Mars will prove to be one of the most favorable since the 2003 apparition when the red planet came closest to Earth in 59,635 years (the year 57,617 B.C.)” Take a breath and look for Mars again. The next best opportunity will be in 2035.

Usually referred to, and seen, as the “red planet,” the current yellow color is the result of dust storms obscuring the planet’s surface. View Mars from nightfall to first light. It is particularly lovely in the morning as it sinks into the southwest skyline. I have observed Mars looking pinkish recently at 4:30 a.m.

Mars’ intensity gradually decreases through the month of August. Among the planets visible with the naked eye during this apparition, Mars is brighter than Jupiter (-2.15m) and Saturn (0.15m); it is second only to Venus (-4.16m).